Rail-joint.



No. 707,47l. Patented Aug. I9, 4902.

0. s. WEDDELL.

RAIL JOINT.

(Application filed Apr. 21, 1902.) (llo Model.)

PATENT OFFICE.

OLIVER S. WEDDELL, OF MCKEESPORT, PENNSYLVANIA.

RAIL-JOINT.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 707,471, dated August 19, 1902.

Application filed April 21, 1902. Serial No. 103,967. (No model.)

To whom it may concern.-

Be it known that I, OLIVER S. WEDDELL, a citizen of the United States of America, residing at McKeesport, in the county of Allegheny and State of Pennsylvania, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Rail-Joints, of which the following is a specification, reference being had therein to the accompanying drawings.

This invention relates to certain new and useful improvements in rail-joints, and has for its main object to construct a joint in which the ordinary form of bolt employing a nut for securing the same in position is dis- I 5 pensed with and the fish-plates securely fastened and held in position by means of specially-shaped bolts which after having been inserted through the fish-plates and rail-web are tightened by moving the same longitudi- 2o nally of the rails and wedging the heads of the bolts against inclined faces provided therefor on the fish-plates.

The invention further aims to construct a joint in which the fish-plates comprising the 2 5 joint may be cast instead of rolled, whereby desirable features may be embodied in the fish-plate which have heretofore been impos sible to attain in a rolled fish-plate, and, further, to provide a joint which may be con- 0 structed in either the form known to the trade as a supported joint or in what'is known as a suspended joint.

With the above and other objects in view the invention resides in the novel construction, combination, and arrangement, as will be hereinafter more specifically described and then particularly pointed out in the appended claims, and in describing the invention in detail reference will be had to the ac- 40 companying drawings, showing a practical form of construction embodying my invention, and wherein like numerals of reference will be employed for designating like parts throughout the different views, in which- Figure 1 is a detail perspective View showing my improved rail-joint in position on the rails. Fig. 2 is a transverse vertical section of the joint and a rail. Fig. 3 is a longitudinal sectional view of a part of one of the fishplates, showing the form of aperture made in the plates. Fig. 4 is a side elevation of the receive the bolts could not be rolled, thus rendering the devices constructed with this end in view practically worthless, since to roll and then machine the same rendered them too costly for practical use. construction, however, the fish-plates may be cast either of malleable iron, steel casting, or the like in a form complete for use, as may also the bolts employed for fastening the fishplates to the rails.

In my present invention the two fish-plates forming the joint are entirely similar on both sides of the rail. Each fish-plate comprises the web 1, the base portion 2, and the baseflange 3, which latter is provided at one or more points with recesses ornotches 4 to receive the securing-spikes (not shown) for securely fastening the plates to the cross-ties of the road-bed. In practice the fish-plates are cast to gage and of the standard size for standard rails, and I prefer in construction to strengthen the plates by means of a series of ribs or braces 5, cast integral therewith, as shown. It is preferable that these ribs or braces be so spaced on the fish-plates that one of the same will come at each end of the plate, as shown in the accompanying drawings. Each fish-plate is provided with a special form of opening or aperture therethrough, and where the plates are constructed with the series of strengthening ribs or braces 5 these openings or apertures will be placed one between each pair of ribs or webs. These apertures or openings through the fish-plates are in the form of an oblong slot 6, which near one end thereof is enlarged, as at 7, to enable the rotation of the bolt, as will presently appear. The outer face of the fish-plates surrounding the apertures or openings is recessed, and this recess is made of varying depth from one end of the aperture or open- In my improved ing to the other end, thereby forming the inclined wall or cam-face 8, against which the inner faces of the bolt-heads engage, thus wedging the bolts at both ends of the latter, as will be more fully explained. Each fishplate is constructed with an underlying portion 9, which is provided with openings 10, extending therethrough, these openings being of the same form as those provided in the web of the fish-plates and the outer walls of the underlying portions having the inclined or cam faces 8, asdescribed above for the web of the fish-plates. These underlying portions are cast solid (except for the openings extending therethrough) and add strength and solidity to the joint, and in practice they are made of a size so that when the fish-plates are placed in position the inner faces of the underlying portions are a slight distance apart, suflicient to permit of the drawing up or tightening of the plates at any time and also sufficient to allow of any expansion and contraction that may occur. The base 5 of the fish-plates extends beyond the underlying portions 9 to each end of the fish-plates, as shown, the inner edges of the base portions being spaced apart, as are the inner edges of the underlying portions 9. The fish-plates are securely bound to the rails 11 by means of bolts 12, having a head on each end. The shank of these bolts is substantially square in cross-section and the heads thereof are substantially T shaped. These heads are made substantially fiat, their thickness being the same as the thickness of the shank of the bolt and their diameter being of a size so they will just pass easily through the bolt-openings 14 in the rails 11. These bolt-openings 14 in the rails may therefore be made round, not requiring the oblong form to permit of expansion and contraction of the rails, as in the usual practice, since the shank of the bolts 12 being considerably less in diameter than the diameter of the bolt-holes 14 sufficient play is permitted for the bolts within the bolt-holes to allow of any expansion and contraction that may take place.

Bolts 15 of the same form of construction as the bolts 12 are employed for binding the underlying portions 9 of the two fish-plates together.

To assemble the joint, the two fish-plates are placed in position on the rails as they are shown in Fig. l of the drawings. When in this position, the enlarged portion of the openings or apertures through the fishplates will be in line with the bolt-holes of the rails, and the bolts are placed through the apertures or openings and through the bolt-holes in the Web of the rails from either side,and after being placed therethrough, so that a head is on each side, the bolts are turned so as to bring the fiat faces of the heads perpendicular, or, in other words, the bolts are given one-quarter turn, which may be readily done so long as the shank of the bolts lie in the enlarged portions 7 of the apertures or openings. This partial turning of the bolts brings the inner faces of the bolt-heads in engagement with the inclined faces on the outer face of the fish-plates, and the plates are then forced longitudinally of the rails, so as to cause said inner faces of the heads to wedge against the inclined or cam faces 8 and firmly bind the bolts in position. WVhen the spikes are driven into the ties, the fish-plates are held against any possible longitudinal movement, and a safe and effective joint is efiected. The bolts 15 are passed through the underlying portions 9 and wedged securely in position in the same manner as above described for the bolts passed through the fish-plates. When the plates have been moved longitudinally, the shank of the bolts being square engages in the oblong slots 6 and prevents the bolts from turning down.

In Fig. 4: I show the same principle embodied in what is known in the trade as a suspended or step joint, in which the underlying portions are made at each end of the fish-plates. These underlying portions 9 are the same in construction as in the form above described, and the same numerals have therefore been applied to the various parts. In this construction, however, the break or joint between the two rails will come directly over one of the cross-ties,while in the construction shown in Fig. 1 the break or joint will come between two adjacent ties of the road-bed.

By either construction it will be observed that the bolts are firmly and securely held in place, being wedged at each end. The joint is quickly made and is extremely strong and durable. It will also be observed that the joint may be applied to the ordinary rails, re uiring no especial construction of boltnoles in the latter. The bolts are readily removable by drawing the spikes from the cross-ties, then moving the fish-plates 1ongitudinally of the rails, so that the shanks of bolts come in the enlarged portions 7 of the openings, at which time the bolts may be given one-quarter turn and withdrawn at either side of the rails.

Having now fully described my invention, what I claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is-

1. In combination with the rails havingapertures, fish-plates having underlying portions provided with oblong apertures and provided .with cam-surfaces on their outer faces, means extending through the apertures in said underlying portions and engaging said camfaces, and means extending through apertures in the webs of the fish-plates and through the apertures in the rails andwedging against the outer faces of the fish-plate webs,substantially as described.

2. In combination with rails having apertures in the web thereof, fish-plates provided with ribs and having oblong apertures,underlying portions carried by said fish-plates and having oblong apertures therethrough, the

outer faces of the fish-plates and the underlying portions having cam-surfaces, and means extending through the fish-plates and apertures in the rails for wedging action against the cam-faces, substantially as described.

3. In a rail-j oint, a fish-plate provided in its web portion with a series of oblong apertures and having cam-faces above and below said apertures, and an underlying portion carried by said fish-plate provided with oblong apertures and having cam-faces above and below said apertures substantially as described.

4. In a rail-joint, a fish-plate having a series of strengthening-ribs and provided with oblong apertures, cam-faces formed on the outer face of the web of said fish-plate, and an underlying portion carried by the fish-plate with oblong apertures therethrough and camfaces on the outer face of said underlying portion, as and for the purpose specified.

5. In a rail-joint, the combination with the rails having apertures, of fish-plates having apertures to register with the apertures in the rails, double-headed bolts passing through said apertures and wedging against the outer face of both fish-plates, underlying portions carried by the fish-plates and provided with apertures, and double-headed bolts passing through said last-named apertures and wedging against the outer face of the underlying portions, substantially as described.

6. The combination with the rails, of a pair of fish-plates having oblong openings which are enlarged near one end,each fish-plate having inclined recesses in the outer face to form countersunk inclined walls above and below the oblong openings,a series of strengtheningribs on each of said plates, bolts having a substantially T- shaped head on each end and having shanks square in cross-section, the said rails having openings of a diameter substantially equal to the greatest diameter of the bolt-heads, the shanks of said bolts en gaging the walls of the oblong openings in the fish-plates and free from engagement with the walls of the openings in the rails when the bolts are in the locked position, and the inner faces of the bolt heads adapted to wedge against the countersunk inclined walls of the fish-plates, substantially as described.

In testimony whereof I affix my signature in the presence of two witnesses.

OLIVER S. WEDDELL.

\Vitnesses:

JOHN NOLAND, E. E. POTTER. 

